There are a variety of various styles of lawn mowers and other apparatuses used both domestically, commercially, and for all facets of maintaining efficient lawn care, but predominately, most of the more durable type of riding mower arrangements are employed by the commercial lawn care organizations, and may include further and additional accessories, in the nature of spreaders, sprayers, and the like, for the processing and handling of complete lawn care during performance of such procedures. An example of apparatuses that may be utilized in conjunction with some type of a moveable vehicle, such as a lawn mower, spreader, roller, or the like, and which includes accessories for facilitating the further treatment of the lawn, such as with the spreading or spraying of fertilizer, herbicide, or the like, can be seen in a variety of prior art patents. For example, one such patent is shown in the U.S. patent to Maples, U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,697, which is upon a spraying apparatus, per se, which is attached to and used in conjunction with a mowing apparatus, as can be noted.
The patent to Harrell, U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,020, discloses another form of a spray attachment for lawn mowers.
The patent to Grote, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,308, shows a mower having fluid dispersion characteristics.
A further U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,803, to Domingue, Jr., shows a centrifugal combination sprayer/cutter apparatus.
The patent to Conley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,676, discloses a multi-purpose lawn care machine.
The patent to Garber, U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,648, is upon a broadcast spreader attachment for garden tractors.
The patent to Bailey, U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,256, discloses a tramlining device for seed drill.
The patent to Baran, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,004, shows another form of a spray unit.
The patent to Block, U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,325, discloses a method and apparatus for applying liquid and dry lawn treatment materials.
The patent to Smith, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,002, shows a hitch mounted carrier assembly and method.
The patent to Kayser, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,218, shows another type of device for spraying liquids with a small tractor.
The current invention, on the other hand, provides an improved means for providing attachment for use upon a mower or other lawn care apparatus, and in particular automates the spreading of granular material, such as fertilizer, herbicide, insecticide, seed, or any other related type of material that needs dissemination, by means of a spreader, and in high volume over a large territory, in a minimum amount of time.
The principle of this invention is to provide means for furnishing stable mounting of a removable accessory to a mowing or spreading apparatus, generally of the riding type, or it may further be included upon the walk behind type of lawn care apparatus, so as to allow the lawn care worker to immediately place into operation a granular material spreader, simply upon the manipulation of a singular switch, to initiate such dissemination.
A further principle of this invention improves upon the structure and functionality of a fertilizer or other granular material spreader, of the type that is used in conjunction with a tractor, or riding mower, or even one which may be built into the structure of such an apparatus, so as to allow the operator to simply initiate the operations of the spreader, once installed, through the manipulation of a singular switch, either manually depressed by the hand or the foot, and which provides for both an opening and dispensing by the spreader, or to immediately cease such activity, upon this engagement of it""s actuating switch.
This invention provides for the mounting of its various components to a support column, which may connect to the bracket mount normally associated with a lawn care apparatus, and to which attachments of this type may connect. The support column provides all the means for attachment of the various components that make up the spreader of this invention, including a base plate for attachment of the revolveable spreader, in addition to the motor that turns the same, the bracket for holding the granular material hopper in place, and the various operating components that provide for the quantity of material to be disseminated and spread, and limited to a full spreading, or only partial or minimum spreading, depending upon the type and functionality of the granular material being disseminated.
It is, therefore, the principle object of this invention to provide a granular material spreader for a mower that may be easily clamped on to the front or back hitch of a lawn care apparatus through a singular connection, and be immediately readied for use for spreading a variety of materials in the category of seed, fertilizer, herbicides, or any other type of granular material which requires dissemination.
Another object of this invention is to provide means for controlling the quantity of granular material being dispensed, automatically, through an adjustable setting.
Yet another object of this invention to provide for the close contact between the apertured plate, and the dispensing holes provided at the bottom of the hopper, so as to precisely control the amount of granular material being dispensed onto its associated spreader.
Still another object of this invention is to reduce and minimize the effort that must be employed by the serviceman, while utilizing a mowing or other related apparatus, allowing him/her to simply initiate the operations of, for example, the fertilizer spreader through a single actuation of an operating switch.
These and other objects may become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the summary of the invention as provided herein, and upon undertaking a study of the description of it""s preferred embodiment, in light of the drawings.